Off The Strip Bistro's Darin Burnes Has Some Super Hot and Spicy Cheap Eats Faves

Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.

Darin Burnes has been bartending for about 10 years, spending the last six behind the bar at places within Wynn Las Vegas. Now the Southern California native works behind the stick at Off The Strip Bistro at The Linq. Here he shares three of his favorite cheap eats in Las Vegas, including a Thai restaurant, a fish taco staple and a seafood lovers’ emporium.

Where do you like to dine for an inexpensive meal?
Achi’s Thai Bistro, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and Hot-N-Juicy Crawfish.

What do you like to order?
The first place I like to turn for an inexpensive meal when I'm not working is Archi's Thai Bistro. My favorite thing on their menu is the chicken pad Thai, which is a rice noodle dish stir fried with egg, green onion and tamarind juice. I get mine with no bean sprouts and I like to spice it up to a level 8. If you're ever feeling under the weather, the tom yum soup is also a favorite. The lemongrass, lime leaves and galagal-infused broth will knock any cold right out of you.

Another restaurant I enjoy is Wahoo's Fish Tacos. I enjoy all of the Volcom and Billabong decor. I grew up in southern California, so I have a deep love for the beach, surfing and fish tacos. They have a few good beers on draft to compliment the Cajun-style tacos with fish or shrimp, topped with fresh cabbage and house sauce, which is my go-to meal. I leave fulfilled and happy each visit.

Lastly I really enjoy going to Hot-N-Juicy Crawfish. You know when you walk in it’s going to be a good time, from the plastic tablecloth, to the entire roll of paper towels on each table, to the server tying a bib on you before your meal comes. When I go there, I get crawfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob, served all in the same bag, with the Cajun seasoning with medium spice and wash it all down with an ice cold Corona. You have to know going in there it is definitely a messy meal, but my favorite part of it is cracking and peeling the seafood on the table and knowing to clean up at the end, they just wrap it all up in the tablecloth and toss it.